Bird Strike Forces Paris Plane Emergency Landing

A passenger plane bound for Paris was forced to make an emergency landing just minutes after taking off from Madrid Airport, causing panic among passengers.

The incident occurred after a bird struck the

Iberia Flight IB579 aircraft's nose, prompting the pilot to turn back. A video captured by a passenger showed chaotic scenes inside the cabin, with passengers initially mistaking the jolt for turbulence.

"We thought it was just turbulence like the captain had mentioned, but then we started hearing a strange noise and realised something was wrong," said passenger Giancarlo Sandoval in an interview with ABC News.



Another video circulating on social media showed significant damage to the aircraft's nose, with

nearly half of it torn off. Sandoval documented the tense moments as smoke filled the cabin and passengers quickly donned oxygen masks. A baby’s cries could be heard in the background as others sat in stunned silence.

Passengers in all out PANIC after a bird SMASHES into the nose of a plane headed for Paris

Cabin FILLED with smoke, forcing people into GASMASKS

The Airbus was forced to turn around after just 20 minutes in the air pic.twitter.com/j1EH2hfLKE

— RT (@RT_com) August 6, 2025

The flight, operated by Iberia, returned to Madrid safely after being airborne for about 20 minutes. The airline later issued a statement assuring that all passengers and crew were safe.

“The entire flight crew, including pilots and cabin crew, acted with the utmost professionalism in managing the

situation and attending to passengers,” Iberia said.

ABC News contributor Col. Steve Ganyard, USMC (Ret.), explained that while bird strikes are common, serious incidents are rare. “Fewer than 10% of bird strikes cause any damage. In this case, however, the impact was severe enough to damage one of the engines and cause smoke to enter the cabin,” he said.

The situation stabilized after the emergency landing, with relieved passengers applauding upon touchdown.